The ambush from the last floor was felt throughout the crowd.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCn480H8qJ
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Even though Juke and I weren't affected, the other's faces were considerably downtrodden. Some members were now left without a partner and had to team up with people they weren't very familiar with. Morale was low, especially since our leaders were missing.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFihNiT4v5i
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BoBdSf4E2
The remaining group was small, too. Only about eight people were left, meaning that, with the five remaining floors, some were simply required to take them alone. There was chatter of moving as a single unit, taking on each room as a whole rather than having forces split from the group, but others countered that doing so would be abandoning an order and that we had to "trust our other members."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZiNDOolrb
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAcM435sGf
As for me, my nerves only spiked. The image of all those fallen bringers was engraved into my mind, and I desperately tried to keep the word "corpse" out of my head. Over and over, telling myself that they were simply unconscious when the right side of my mind constantly told me otherwise–
**SLAP**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiVfo9xf06
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"Ack!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHY9uN5KhB
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiJoqekbgw
I wasn't prepared for the strength I slapped myself with. My muscles were incredibly tense, and I hadn't even realized.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfsavTLJBi
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"No use in thinking about it. No use in thinking about it! Come on!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9lBou938m
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlipbpKASi
I steeled whatever I had left of my resolve and kept trudging through the stairs. I had a complete vision of the crowd, and it made it apparent just how thinned out it had become. To my great dismay, I could even see Rover.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XPtrIWYGp
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bqWvYD3EK
"...Useless–!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFG8W6Ukfa
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I tried not to think about anything that. I knew I couldn't suspend it for long, but every second I could force my legs forward was valuable. So I ran and ran and ran and ran and–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKFIa3haRN
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCn5HrQsJj
Suddenly, I noticed something. Though I naturally hadn't been paying much attention to her, the person beside her had changed.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwrUvnDeZ0
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKtkIFhIR3
And it was someone I recognized209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2eLftGfoU
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vQv1n7E3d
–
–
–
The most grueling part of this siege hadn't been the laborious running. It hadn't been the various enemies, the threat of death or even seeing allies fall like flies in the previous ambush. No, for Rover, it was restraint.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpMjzj7f4O
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkg9xojy3F
To do nothing in the face of Hard-Bringer gave her near-uncontrollable rage. Those she swore she'd see crumble, running amok and stealing lives as they always have, unable to even point her weapon at them. If it weren't for those looming words by that wimpy child, resting in the corners of her mind like spiders, she would've caved in.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFQIlIKKxN
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMSWDbx15O
Especially now that her surrogate partner was a completely new face.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKdnscDOyz
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"Hi."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpxx77ra7q
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As she raced up the steps, a man in glasses only a little taller announced himself. She could see him facing her in her peripheral, and though her habits urged her not to, she matched his gaze.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41dEkdJlqV
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"What!?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSwf0ZI2bG
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Though, perhaps, she should've spared an extra second checking her tone.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl89kUK52l
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55KBQnvU4p
"S-Sorry for the intrusion, ma'am! I just thought we'd familiarize ourselves."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRtHtQDD9j
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXgEoTq8bi
His nervous expression didn't loosen one bit. When Rover tried a softer face, the sweat on his brow multiplied. Rover gave up appearances, quickly discarding dismissive dialogue before her introduction.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDj7bljG61
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0OqgkZTf5
"I'm Nigel. You're the volunteer, aren't you?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTzk4QPOIk
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEg5RpWmrUv
"Volunteer makes it sound lame! I'm Rover! L-Let's work well together, alright!?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WLHX4U4r8
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOWFoU0fwK
Nigel's tense expression eased a little. He worried about a sudden reassignment just as much as Rover did.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqnevMGgtx
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"I know this is a bit impromptu, but my partner perished on the floor below. Thank you for bearing with me."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXZPsle4HY
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHE7sG8RGV
He raised his right hand, one that clutched a metal collar with a tag. Rover knew immediately who it belonged to, and the unusual idea of consolement entered her mind.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJ9NPAo7Er
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58hSIziPrN
"That... that's really bad. I'm sorry for–"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6kdZ6f9EW
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzsp6NUf1Fc
"Don't worry about it. You've suffered a similar fate, haven't you? We're in the same boat."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73kMSdzQwv
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLlL2TEJFr
He kept a smile with those words, but his eyes lacked the light to convince her. He turned his head away, and the two of them kept running up with their usual worries.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrxz5y6hBw
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And then, finally, they hit a flat surface.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0wDweXysB
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"The next room's up ahead!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fxoUlcHUy
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5s0tnrFEF3
She had been in this scene nearly a dozen times already. And each time, she dreaded it. Sprinting to that door, knowing that there would be a monster in man's skin. She swallowed that dread like before, and each time, it poisoned her blood further and further.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGepGldONsM
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7JZ9QJdEf
The crowd made it to the room. It was relatively small, but an immediate feature was the giant stained windows, granting a tinted view of the city outside. Rover gave minimum attention to the stature of the room, however, because there, by the exit, sat a man who could only be described as–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AdEV2Or40
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr31hPkjfjy
"Holy shit! Are ya a titan!?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrSBquYHLG
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMH6FaEsKLM
Rover glanced behind her, realizing that Juke was the one to yell that. She saw Kenny near him, huffing with his hands on his kneecaps.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa54pVysvP2
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClfkKxjhtK
A titan. It was a familiar word. She heard it from the stories her mother told her. But, of course, there were no titans in King's Peak, only tales of them.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZeAwownevV
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkbO22kYKS
But, even if it was only in name, the titan a man was. A member of Hard-Bringer with such size, and his head nearly reached the ceiling when he stood. Such monstrous height intimidated nearly everyone, but for Rover, it was the opposite.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKaSkMVmUM
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROqrbzOuQW
Rover recognized that height. Rover recognized that build, even though it was concealed by robes, and as the man went to pull his hoodie down, the face that appeared only confirmed her intuition.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIRunByeoH
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfNUYee8nm
"This is where your advance ends– huh?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVJHs8MYU4
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWVAPOWsYx
The towering man stopped his speech, compelled by the dashing girl with a rapier in hand. She leaped forward and stuck her foot out, but the man blocked the kick by raising his arm. Rover then thrust her blade, and the man narrowly dodged by tilting his head. However, his angled head was grabbed by her free arm, and through a feat unexpected of her size–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGV8y7QUBx
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrOHvSZJYR
**THUD**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEAggQEZe9
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She shoved the man down to the ground. She immediately followed with a thrust, but she only caught his robe, and the man scurried away.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSQYEQyjzv
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"...Same tricks as always."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLJrxpOmAN
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Though her snide remark was entirely unperturbed, the rest of the room stared with mouths agape, as if they had just witnessed alien life.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3mZ2TzTDo
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNeHwcuYrGW
"Hoh– it is you. You!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVcLDhCSOW
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCVaoaziKA
Because, the once hulking, monster of a man, was now suddenly the size of a teenage boy.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1ZennT3hR
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPUYkZYewI
"I never expected to run into you today, Rover! Hahaha!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgEU8qAjCr
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWw0CqR1tD
The crowd was stunned. Only one member moved through the shock, and everyone stared to find it was Nigel.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNGEJMPcJq
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloUafQ5jYv
"Everyone," he shouted. "Move on, we'll take care of things here!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIiQgecGeI
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uiD5XiXED
Rover pointed her weapon at the man, a clear warning to stay in place. The man obliged without much resistance, and Rover turned her head to make sure everyone would leave. But then she noticed how Nigel didn't move one inch to that door, and his use of 'we' only just registered in her mind.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFM80gEAUI
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"Nigel."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQIl06MJyJ
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"Yes?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaS0NWmIWXk
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnNUymGUTi
"Leave. I'm fighting this one alone."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6ujQFuriU
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC901LBMTAl
"...You're kidding me, certainly."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlZ0zoMgXd
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Rover shook her head back and forth.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGLWoNrBfR
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkH6D19GNeR
"Do you honestly think you can take him alone? You saw what he did, didn't you?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjwKj4ORDb
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvUdd3x9NN
"Of course I did. And I know how it works."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf912CUt7NR
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluCXrUnZSL
"You fought him before, then?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdt8TDckKAN
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEE82JEcTg
Rover quickly nodded. Nigel looked at the man with a constrained face, balling his hands into shaking fists. After an irritated, almost hopeless sigh, he complied. But not before one final word.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYX2GqbXNcR
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthqJtRSO3d
"Aren't you and I a team? Are you absolutely certain?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIkSqBPPuF
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygOJUNHOyx
Operating on instinct, Rover nodded, but then his opening question computed with her, and her eyes suddenly constricted.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3PLg2j8RM
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"Very well! Don't die on me!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ihiV5Ugvy
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His opening words caught Rover like a chain. It reminded her of that moron's scolding, forced her to consider her vow– her earnest word that she'd cooperate –and inquired why she didn't abide by them. But Rover answered that inquiry easily.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGARcMnNZk
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBtbx4Gf3f
This man wasn't just a Bringer. She had a history with him. This man was an enemy. A bipedal wretch, barely human, who boiled her blood and furrowed her brows.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnNRYo3qsb
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxKVStTmzGs
No, now she was certain of it. This monster had to fall to her hands; anyone else would just be a hindrance. So she would take him alone, as she always had.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4hc3rcxa0
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TxvQ2jqdH
She looked back one last time, making sure that only she and the man were in the room. Nigel was gone, but to her surprise, there was still another member of the crowd there. He drew particular attention. Standing between the exit, not quite leaving it, with clear indecision festering within.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYDnUBFLAo
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQTP9CviTy
"Rover," Kenny suddenly shouted. Her eyes moved to his face, constricted and complicated. She was compelled to call it a scowl, but no scorn was in Kenny's face. Only concern, and disappointment.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfcj28d4mL
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTveEXB04Vs
Even without hearing it, Rover knew his words. It suddenly was difficult, to see his face like that. Now, the embodiment of that vow was staring directly into her. Not just at her eyes, no– she felt the observation of her soul.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lj4MojhBc
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJgv0gTIrc
"..."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDaJTjgU30
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It was suddenly difficult to do anything. And yet, the feelings that burned within her formed too great an inferno to douse. If that boy took two steps further into this room, or even one, she felt like she would lash out. She felt like– she knew she would yell at him not to butt in, to mind his own business, to go fuck himself, and to leave her alone. Words that she had slung candidly before. Words that she knew better than family.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMNY8m8oy7
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And so, she communicated with a stern nod, and Kenny's biting mouth chipped his nail.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBkzv9uU3g
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"Fine. Good luck!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9Obkt8sH8
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And then, he was off. His bidding of good fortune completely stunned her. However, she quickly recovered–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNPyhBUY4v
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NJ3BGOboe
**THUD**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7v3L2nIrK
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"Sharp as always! I'm a fool to think that would work!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9392chTLET
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There came a sudden strike from her front, but it was one that she blocked. She freed her rapier from the struggle and backed away, brandishing her weapon and sliding a leg back into a stance.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4d7HDLr9l
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tq0zJuOck
"Are you ready," the man asked, a boorish smirk on his face. She could almost see the swirls in his eyes, the way they lost any reason, seeing only combat and carnage as they always had.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBTjIgnsdh
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She tried to ignore the uncertain, guilty way her stomach formed a pit.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnutwWjD7Io
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"Come at me, Boris!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyVNirLC1k
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUL3LXHUAaG
–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEEMqVakdl
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–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bftUIyIxY
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–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKvkUlYPRL
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Right before she charged forth, her stalled thoughts sprung into action.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6igfZVjf1g
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Rover knew of their volatile unpredictability. But she was always prepared for it. Even on that street, when they made their audacious announcement, Rover hadn't a shocked bone in her body. But to see Boris utterly defied expectations. She wished she had more time, maybe a moment to sharpen the tip of her rapier, to check the grip on her dagger. But it was too late now, and as she took her first step into battle, she lost all leeway to care.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOFmYHoRAj
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvuGyh2Zqq
Boris contested her dash. As he charged forth his smaller stature expanded slightly. He leaped forward, but it wasn't to tackle or to grab. He swung his hips and turned ninety degrees, unbending his legs for a sudden drop kick.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApHjBfbWWu
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDwNeglA36
Rover blocked it with her hands. His increased size made the blow harder to cope with, but she still only slid a foot back. Now on the ground, Rover seized the opportunity to stab at the man. She thrust once, and her sword was met with the sole of his boot.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNajPRgDoqT
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqByWBbdrXv
"Huh!?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy80QMKwdgG
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0K71CjuLmV
He spun onto his belly, catching himself with his hands, using her rapier as a borrowed axel. He pushed himself off the ground with enough force that, even with his lack of leverage, he flew as a battering ram toward her. Rover's rapier nearly snapped under the pressure, but she moved it away before its steel blade turned into a wobbly tube. She ducked Boris' charge, but he grabbed onto her rapier, swinging back around and destroying Rover's balance. Rover, however, had only one hand on that Rapier.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIPuxdkjwK
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzI26WmVHC
"Hah!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQvCEfBwlO
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She used her other to grab her dagger and stabbed at the man. He took the blow unceremoniously, even growing to lessen it, and she was sure it hurt by the subsequent grunt. He flew off her rapier a solid few meters away, taking Rover's dagger with his body.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9XGx1IRXj
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXT8N9zcni
But she didn't let up, because she knew that if she waited any longer–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡltqQWWuJML
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"Here!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyXLLFRWjn
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvo9BV9FhSF
Boris dislodged her dagger and he chucked it like a throwing knife. Rover caught it at one of its crossguards, but as she was distracted with doing so, the man performed mana spinning.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIHLgV7Pm8
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡct8rKwJweH
"Good thing that dagger's so thin. Otherwise, this wound wouldn't be so easy to heal."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKZ85Aij2K
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0PvzDzHQV
"Tch."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtlzk4R61m
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtSCkvYTqK
Boris returned to his former size. He stroked his chin, tending to his thoughts as he stared down Rover. She afforded him no time and charged forth. She thrust her rapier once, met with a jerk away, and thrust it again. She repeated her thrusts, each of which dodged but less comfortably each subsequent attempt. Rover knew him better, however. She knew that right as she thought she'd get him, he would pull an underhanded trick. So she assumed the eyes of an analyst, narrowing them and gazing at Boris like a hunting cat.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GA6EGICIc
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAhGHHrjOr
**CLANG**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaG00d0qkuo
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And that trick came. Boris caught her thin rapier between his hands, clamping it so fiercely that the metal would snap any moment. But Rover's stance suffered no blow, and poised to strike back, she slung her leg from her side. The blow struck Boris right under the rib, and from his obvious wince, the damage wasn't meaningless.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUM8m6or8DB
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFl5wWcXmn
She struck again quickly, sliding her rapier out and using the butt of its hilt like a rock, smacking Boris square in the face. Boris reeled from the blow and took a few steps away, but Rover swung her arm back and straightened her Rapier, honing in for a vicious thrust.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXVIc2WCiq
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50Nv5KKoyh
That thrust, however, had been dodged. And the force Rapier stockpiled only sent her tumbling to the ground. She never landed, though, because a sudden fist to the face replaced her embarrassing fall with a punitive flight. She soared across the room, disoriented, anchoring herself on the floor with her Rapier right before colliding with a wall.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡem7GO7AZCB
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As she gathered her bearings, she saw Boris charging forth with a puffed chest. Only, it wasn't puffed, but swollen to inhuman degrees. The image of a bull came to her mind, and for a moment she was paralyzed. But she shook the intimidation off and stepped away, missing a blow that–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRZtPz4pfd
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvUb4JhqkR
**SMASH**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtjLs8wYRW
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNx13Qogaio
–shook the room as it ruined the wall.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9ATf2lPeL
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"Ack. Shit!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW6UKLxLfj6
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGA33eEnI8
Rover realized his reckless gesture was an attempt at an early victory, but she was too energized to fall prey to it, and now Boris was only more hurt.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73AjGDBxuJ
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiP7y6g42lJ
"These tactics don't work how they used to. You've grown. Haha, you've truly grown!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuO7I2YQWH
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFVDx4db22
Boris deflated his comical size, returning to a more reasonable stature.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXv1KvnJAK
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjJuD4Hi5r
"But not enough."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQTLPpBBwa
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pUAzaGZ6N
"--!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t7x5xtACm
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzvuDDEXKX
Those words, unlike anything prior, brewed steam within her head.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZ6Atrl3wX
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDoZNulPlJ
"What the hell are you talking about? I'm kicking your ass!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXQQZmQHg0
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGaUqZ5zxp
He wiped some dirt off his shoulder.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pQm5gKm93
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTvgZP2E4E
"Your intellect hasn't improved one bit, has it? Can't you tell I'm still toying with you?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5St6938gp
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqdfiLWd5T
Her jittering mouth couldn't open to respond. So badly did she want to deny it, to call him out for being coy. But to do so, would just be to lie.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhN12XkBZ4O
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcw7KSgXYow
"I remember when you and I first met. Back in those ivory fields, when I offered you a home, you scowled at me and called me scum. That a bringer like me ought "209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwLY0SQc7S
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSUx0x1xc8
"...So what? What are you getting at, shitface?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHD91hGjV4U
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1Bj2t8C23
He smirked. He placed his hands behind his shoulders, closing his eyes. Rover didn't understand what he was doing, and that worried her. That worried her deeply because she thought she knew every trick this monster could pull. She thought she knew every ace up his sleeve, every nook and cranny of his capacity.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUG7ZljTx4e
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6AzUXALwd
But, as she was proven yet again, keeping expectations like that was for fools.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCQZlwNWpV
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU77Bnb1kE8
From the back of his shoulders, cylindrical masses of earth formed, taking shapes and morphing as his hands moved outward. His arms stopped just above his chest, and as he lowered his arms, Rover's eyes blew open, her clenched throat vomiting a gasp.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzgsdHoHxA
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6JvVEENRI
"You talked so much of this goal of yours. Of how you'd beat me. Of how you'd prove yourself to me and all of my colleagues."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciLOwodGgA
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcSPADL230
From the back of his shoulders, a new pair of arms found home, and they pointed their fingers with snappy girth.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTfaSj7EeM
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VrGGIeOsj
"Hahaha! Come! Show me that this time, you'll do just that"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBEvrSEO1c
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0eDF0fKNg
"--Fine!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU83ioJg204
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyulbJzDHB7
Though the doubling of his limbs was obviously intimidating, Rover tried not to be dissuaded by his appearance. She charged forth, dagger now firmly in hand. After all, if she fought the new Boris with a stale arsenal, she'd be crushed.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWtpW4bDXp
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWJNSeCOFX
She began with a thrust, and immediately it was caught by one of Boris' earthly arms, not budging an inch. He bent his legs and threw a regular punch at Rover, one she avoided with a backstep. Her rapier was now confiscated, and she watched Boris raise it with his earthen arms.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NKWxowLVV
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfsjUxETpd
Something inside urged her to scream in defiance. To yell at that man not to do it, but she pushed that unburied temptation down with a commanding glare. Gazing at Boris as he snapped the rapier like a twig.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDPGkerdPA
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUopnR3hzHo
"Well," he asked, "what now?" He threw the split rapier to the side and taunted Rover, daring her to come closer. Rover didn't fall for the taunt, because what she had was not rage– at least, not at the man before her.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DWFQJ8kTN
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu9QGBwRIuj
Rather, her shaking fists were directed at herself. She raised the dagger and looked at it. Despite its needle-like blade, the curved cross-guards made it a poor tool for thrusting. This was her only weapon. This and her fists, anyway, but if her past had taught her anything, it was that fists were a futile tool against him.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6rtX8l6Jd
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8n3K6aeSFz
"Completely still. But, of course, you lost your only way to kill me. Will you give up?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtx2KPQcHsR
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4Ub1Yg7G8
"...You're counting me out already. It's pissing me off!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbW30BYmydy
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9byla45A6E
Yes, her remaining weapon was better suited to defense. Yes, she was physically weaker than Boris. But if her kit made it so that she lived and died by the presence of her rapier, she would've gone all those years traveling King's Peak for nothing.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTgpxpqawj
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYnbZVqzSa
"You've learned nothing, you overgrown oaf!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjA57uJUmjZ
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4ssNxIVSX
Her free hand latched onto the strap around her waist, turning it and revealing the satchel that had gone unnoticed by Boris. Unzipping it and reaching for its contents, Rover pulled out an item that made his eyes widen. A thin, elongated, but sturdy vial, one that fits comfortably into Rover's palm.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQ9uUtRiXE
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdAgEXiGRz
"...I see. Hahaha, I see! And what kind of exotic mana does that hold?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfvPZ1k9vV
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjOMJIBNSB
"Come and find out!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwq3nfJi2i
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqn0nSGAf4X
And for the first time in the battle, Boris broke the neutral state, dashing at Rover with arms blazing. A result that came at the worst time possible. Because, although Rover revealed her condition for victory, not a single thought of how to use it came to her mind. And thus, she panicked.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxtknAy8Rw
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwwNQOdiW3
Fortunately, she was always a better runner than Boris.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoFi5lZ3VB
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRymiygPoYr
"Get back here! Come on you coward!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzS4CDF881T
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvoW8H5FuB
Rover dismissed those venomous words. Or at the very least, she tried to, but its potent bite was felt throughout her body like the mountains of sweat her brow was producing. She had no idea what to do. For a moment she doubted that she remembered what the vial even contained. But one look at it, at its orange hue that signified distinct divergence, assured Rover that much.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEss16yPtQ
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8y2GqZ8YGR
And then, the answer came to her. The wave of panic crashed with the gentle grace of summer water. She stuck the dense vial in her mouth and turned around.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg18NseOVbz
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9JNYiheL6
"Finally!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVwBtTNuVE
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW5T5WkMzc
Boris threw his earthen arms directly at her, which Rover dodged. In a bent position, Boris brought both his arms up to uppercut. Rover blocked one fist with her palm and stabbed through the other.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKs5kuChStn
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMGLhSywRE
"--Ack! Shit!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziOLwPsCqE
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKeUo5UPU1
The parrying dagger slid smooth like silk out of the wound. Rover dashed back immediately, anticipating some kind of reaction.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCK66NM2In3
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Gkm3QxCI5
"...My fingers are broken. Just what is that dagger made of?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfQrtiP9vX
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwWiLBeeJ1
And then a profound smile found itself on her face. He backed away to perform mana spinning potent enough only to close his wound. Those broken fingers were just what she needed.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVf6yQMU5nl
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcYsVcG1E5
She performed a swift dash, closing the gap between Boris and her. He immediately put his earthen arms up as a guard, disjointed just enough from his body to make an attack impossible. Rover thought this sudden focus on defense as suspicious, even as the mana spinning on his hand gave her a reason, so she dared not approach without caution. After all, with how volatile his size changes were, he could–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GCxXNshXU
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oMHvq2ob6
"...!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpj3yRBmPb
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96G3mdjuCl
Her past experience came to the forefront of her mind, and now she observed her reality with a perplexed perspective. He barely altered his size throughout this fight. He stopped only when–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzv0DObitip
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSwzXBvOFi
"Ah-ha!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVN1smhSB51
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLO5v0Eiptx
Though her profession of understanding was muffled by the glass between her teeth, it made the rise of her confidence no less explosive. She seemingly threw all caution to the wind, charging forth directly into his earthen arms. Boris dashed away, keeping Rover at a distance, but to no avail. Her speedy struts caught up to his back peddling quickly, and instead of attacking, Rover grabbed the earthen hands.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczsW7mfBt8
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOBBl7vRnT
The gesture alone confused Boris for a moment, just enough to stun him for what happened next.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODvg671wb0
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAITORz491O
**THUD**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiTn7aM8we
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxalRhSzi9z
"Urk!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCjT4aNJz33
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhhIO2TWly
Using those arms like a swing, she propelled her feet into Boris' gut. But she didn't stop there. Because there was no better opportunity to do this than now. She pulled the glass right out of her mouth and popped the lid open, throwing it at Boris as she fell to the floor and rolled away.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yxR7rQcgK
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRN52fb9w1Q
Now at a distance, Rover observed the magic. But no magic came.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwRXu7INpQ
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUp9azS3xwz
"Huh?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncNgsdFcMa
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnvDvzcNTa
There was a fluttering cloud of orange dust before Boris, permeating through the room like any ordinary gas would.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSP3vbHlbFk
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kvnBig2A9
"Haha! What was I afraid of!?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9vnzFQZ22
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZ55pXVZQr
Boris broke into a bellowing laughter. He held his gut not only to soothe the pain but to hold back his chuckles. Rover knew he would've pointed at her had one of his arms not suffered damage, and though that made her bitter, she kept herself composed for the moment.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV21QgYhJpN
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQObSWAnGp
Boris quit his laughter, wiping a few tears out of his eyes. The orange cloud permeated slowly, so it still was rather thick, but that didn't dissuade Boris from sticking his head in and smelling it like morning air.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBB0mWelflZ
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHI9EyJbO5
"What's this? Doesn't smell like anything. You crack me up. At least you put on a good show!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXvtdulQBT
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50bcNPBbU5
Boris threw his arms wide.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2XPmSMREj
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTku2tk2e9v
"But I like fights more than performances. I'll do both of us a favor and end this–"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8VuYRlHPS
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOwpKkxiz1
In a flash, as he spoke, as the spit flew out of his face, and as the lids of his eyes closed to blink, he raised his leg one step forward. With that leg, his body followed right after, crashing into the dust of orange, spreading it just far enough that it contacted the earthen arms.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05x4bBGAOv
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2AvxEuKeY
And then the magic happened.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMYtMahX96
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvJWd1p7UK
**BOOM**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AjPuOhyyp
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEjkEau7Vy
That cloud of dust erupted with volcanic ferocity, an explosion so small, yet so extreme that Rover struggled to keep her footing. A great cloud of smoke took the place of Boris' body, and Rover looked on with the slimiest grin she had ever worn.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJ3wMuGMs9
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWkzXNieNf
"Heh. And I even figured out your actual size."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLmezRZzKi
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9iZtXZmZdJ
She stood up and wiped whatever junk found itself on her shoulder. She approached the site of the explosion, and just like in her memories, it was near heatless. She didn't get too close, however. Just close enough to see Boris' crisps, when that cloud of dust would eventually fade.
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNNzdKFOXs
"Hmmm? This is taking a while–"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7HzDvUpGx
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbri1lgC2nf
And indeed, that cloud of dust faded. It faded rather fast. But then Rover realized it wasn't that the dust faded. Rather, something had stolen its spot.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2O48Lxov9Y
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDoMM2FhVl
The arm of a titan, reaching out for her, with its open palm like a claw. Rover's instincts forced her body to dash away. Then she stood and watched. Watched as a hulking mass exited the site of the explosion.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJlJjZ0zKs
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaW5zQuXBbi
Then, it shrunk.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNha7Ntvbc
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"Oh ho ho, you marvelous beast."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdsleJjEiU
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTTdoqkSr4
Boris' robes were gone. Cinders, undeniably. Then was the leather armor Rover knew he always wore. That was gone too. The only article of clothing that remained were his pants, and even they were hardly intact. He was covered in burns blistered the likes of which she'd never seen, and his earthen arms were now missing. By all strings of reasoning, Rover should've dashed in and dealt the final blow. But she couldn't.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLm0we55TUG
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLe5VVDnPO
Come to think of it, it was the first time she'd seen a part of his body aside from his face. And now she felt as if she just discovered a new man. Because all around Boris' torso was a carpet of gaping, sporadic holes.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWstHi8Vuk
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GXGr8BXAW
"I can see it in your face. Your disgust. But I know that there's awe in those eyes. How couldn't there be?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFSygiCxZW
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDK1h7BMMC
Rover snapped out of her trance and brandished her dagger.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxLW2HVosR
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQGfDbQYix
"What you're seeing is my Endowment. Many have called it a curse, but I'm not so ungrateful to insult it like that."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkIf62kzvZ
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFUSKmgIft
Boris raised his unbroken arm. He began mana spinning, forming a brick of earth in his hand. And then, from the large hole centered at his navel, the very same brick spewed out and plummeted to the ground.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaP6shkMFjo
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT18FGP9K1x
And then, a few seconds later, another brick spat out a different hole.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9F4IjoHqQ
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JRpNXUAOB
"Those arms I formed made for a dandy shield, wouldn't you say? Though of course, you hit me in the last place it spawned. Lucky you."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWH3nc6lx2X
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpjTsUq9kY
Another brick spewed out. It came from his shoulder.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTzsnFPkHE
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡREerqCLkxN
"Well, you've certainly made a mess of my face. But I don't need good looks anyway."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErezANklD6
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmnGZZsStE
He dropped the brick in his hand right as another spewed out. He wound his arm, as if to stretch it, then gazed at Rover with the eyes of a monster.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrCDt96nSe
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4S0dvyXUyt
"You're not done fighting, are you? Come on."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdEQklZUqX
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4S8lhs7Hi
"...Freak."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC504oeHfAH
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGFFCeymGz
"Oh yeah. You loved calling me that before, didn't you?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypThxJYU6P
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeS4Bf5aJc
"And just look at how right I was."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoAWZa5HNj
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtLeaam1LU
A hearty chuckle came from him.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW9hgAvqbO
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vO900kOQT
"Well, that won't do you any good."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseXIEmejjo
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnu2pTAGYg
Boris entered a stance, taunting Rover yet again.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ijFh7EMhx
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5lmDKsvMA
"Come on. My legs are scorched. Your marvelous plan gave you this opportunity."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfupHVeiW78
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrg7mQhTVSM
She put one leg forward.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHQK0hU7Vx
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"You've got brains since the last time we met. At least, more than I expected. You used them well. You're still worth keeping around."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ligR4vXF7
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Then another. Boris' grin grew wider.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDDqTQf1T3
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"A helpless dog like you shouldn't loiter around! Come on, Rover! Don't you have something to prove!?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkGE3PG8K2
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpagzYD5KeZ
And even through his manic glare, Rover sprinted. She sprinted with energy to finish, the will to see that monster put down.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoX9YRBHL5N
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–
–
–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHlkmGxmWZ
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–From an onlooker's perspective, Rover could see why she'd get concerned stares. Even though her body locomoted tactfully in the fight, the windows to her mind made contorted, bemused shapes. And the removal of her dagger compounded that contortion.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uPVlViWRp
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She threw a fist forward. It was slapped away by Boris, and he attempted a counterattack. Rover tucked her head just in time, and with the tiny space between her skull and his arm, she jumped. Boris avoided a dislocation, but Rover kept the assault with a kick from the side. It was blocked by his other hand. She slipped away just before it got caught, and using her right leg like an anchor, delivered a flurry of kicks at Boris, who went to block them.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09F9cAHE2d
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPdXQLanED
–Rover's kicks were laced. Whether it hampered or bolstered them wasn't something she knew or cared about. At some point, she forgot all about the process of kicking, her mind wandering to holes in her gut. The oozing pastries behind the glass, unable to snatch that gilded stash.
Boris quit his consecutive parries, realizing that such a task was a fool's game. He backed away, which took a moment to compute with Rover, and Boris used that moment to charge in and deliver a quick blow. Rover fortunately blocked it, and as she didn't slide across the room, she had ample leverage to pull a maneuver. She spread her arms and wrapped them around Boris, turning around and putting it over her shoulder. Boris was bigger than her, but that mattered little with her strength. She threw him onto the ground, and his back's unceremonious clash with the floor made its effects apparent on his face. However, Boris pointed his vacant hand at her and out came a burst of wind. Rover didn't have the reflexes to dodge at such a short range and went flying across the room.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflc24pgPBr
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33OUNzby1g
–Those morphing cakes reeked of red. Its verdant smell commanded her to smash the glass, but she was smarter than that. She knew that if she broke the shield, she'd lose on the spot. And that couldn't happen. Her blood boiled to steam. Her teeth ground themselves to powder. It was inevitable, seeing as that's how it always went.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBHM7vsFiB
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Boris jumped up from the floor right as Rover landed on it. She struggled to get back on her feet, as the blow from his spell sent her head into a frenzy, but she made do with her wobbly knees. Boris charged forth and tackled with his shoulder. Rover tried to block it, and though she avoided any serious damage, she was swept off her feet yet again. Boris followed with a kick, but right as his foot was about to connect, another gust of wind blew from his chest. It saved Rover from a painful blow and sent Boris soaring away, but the edges of the gust still connected, and she was back on the floor.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKgS8G5bci
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlExe1RjOv
–When things get at arm's length, they become untouchable. But the obstacle isn't always a protective pane of glass. Sometimes it's a shelf, one just high enough so it's out of your reach. Rover jumped for years, but every time her legs grew stronger, or her arms grew longer, the shelf grew with her, but always a little more. Eventually, her fiddling fingertips couldn't even brush it.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTvADuoHUq
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpn3s00QKO
Rover fought yet again to get her feet to the ground. She wiped her mouth with her arm and spat out blood-infused spit. She must've cut her inner cheek.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZI3xtG23I
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Boris was far away from her, but charing with full awareness. His pace slugged from before, it was clear to Rover that the explosion still affected him. She used that thought to muster her remaining strength and met Boris' charge head-on. The two entered a series of throwing and avoiding fists, and Rover's superior speed gave her an edge. She landed blows square in the chest, and as she hit his pores, they immediately constricted. Rover cared little as to what that meant and kept bashing, but then Boris landed a fist into her cheek. She rolled with the hit as well as she could before rounding back with her strongest punch yet. It landed right into Boris' palm. He twirled his arm, a clear attempt to break Rover's own, but she had experience with such tricks. She put her free hand onto Boris' and jumped, countering his rotation with her own, and kicking him in the head. But Boris didn't release his grasp, and instead threw Rover up and punted her gut.
–There was almost no doubt in her mind of what would happen. It was inevitable, in spite of her struggle. She was going to lose. Would she die? She knew Boris well enough, and so she knew she wouldn't. But to her, no future existed beyond the time of her loss. No prospects are had at the precipice of failure. It was like the blackness of recollecting one's memory as a fetus. But if these rotten thoughts were all that were within her, then maybe she could've squeezed out a tie.
Rover fell to the ground, wheezing and panting, remnants of her stomach escaping from her mouth. She expected an immediate attack and braced herself, but such an attack never came–
**THUD**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5a93tF4RrT
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Rover ate a kick to the face. She rolled across the ground but stopped herself quickly. Her right eye was covered in red, but she could see Boris even through a blizzard. He stomped to her, but Rover didn't move. She reached into the sheath and grabbed the hilt of her dagger, and right as Boris was in range to attack, she threw the weapon at her.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvrHTRDbW2
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYKrzg5APY
–There were chains around her arms, doubts in and out of hiding, pouncing and making escapes with military expertise. There was guilt in her limbs, the ones she used to seal the oath she carelessly shattered. There was anger in her stomach, the one that was always there, residing like a parasite but pulsing now as if it was bound to burst. There was sorrow in her heart, the one she used to fuel words about things she just didn't understand. The one she used to hope. But one affliction was chief among them all.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusi3RbHUkZ
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Boris was caught off guard, but not as much as Rover hoped. He just raised one of his arms and let the dagger pierce right through. Boris' screaming was nearly musical to her. Blood leaked from the edges; it was clear the dagger was like a clog. But even so, Boris pulled the dagger out of his arm and sealed the blood-spewing hole with his fingers, performing mana spinning.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpBOC3dqQP
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"You have gotten smarter. Or maybe I've just gotten dumber."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEacS8jRMNb
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Rover tried to get up and attack. After all, he was right in front of her, making himself vulnerable. She tried, and she was able to get her upper body off the floor, but Boris kept her down with another kick to the chin. Any strength to rise departed, and all Rover could do was watch as Boris approached.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxl8zJ2800e
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"What a shame. For you, of course. This is the closest you've ever gotten, but you didn't have that extra push."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCgMY7ZPxU
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfARJw22YE
Rover balled his hands into a fist, scowling at Boris with daggers for eyes.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESVaK2BNL8
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"Relax, now. Twisting your face won't kill me. Might as well save the energy."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTPgK7LNQx8
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"You... ass."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJL1Kj3kb6
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Boris stopped before her legs, staring at them while pinching his chin. Rover couldn't begin to imagine what was going on in his head. But she kept on scowling, even hissing at him as if the action would deter him at all.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsYTSsFPhc
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"You're not crawling away?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10widga7d8
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"...I'm not a damn worm."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRu8tOJH7i
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"Right. You never were the type to do that. But your insults are missing. Well, not that it matters."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB3f7Xkn6UP
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Boris crouched down and gazed at her legs. A shiver crawled up Rover's spine, one that left tingling dread in its wake.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFUpSdSv4k
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"I'm spent, but I can't let you run around either. So how about I do, this?"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7jUF973yyJ
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He grabbed her left leg by the ankle, and as he did so, he began mana expulsion. He formed a great club of earth in his hand and walked over to her hip. Immediately, Rover knew what was going to happen. She moved her arm in an attempt to slap it away, but her hands couldn't reach him.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡES1qorkCDr
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But, she still tried. As Boris raised the club above his head, the corners of her eyes were taken by darkness. More and more area, subjugated by black until only the very center of her pupils had the ability to look. They stared at the club, as it stood motionless above his head, and she knew any second it would come down, and she knew any second she would be made a fool.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6c19DNMlV9
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And she couldn't do a thing.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Qv3bedveq
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–Frustration. It was her frustration. The object of her long-lived hatred, its ambassador stood right there. But she was being beaten down like a dog. An injured mutt who had to limp on all but one of its legs, even unable to beg. At the edge of achieving her dream, her ultimate goal, she was forced to watch it slip further and further away. And then she realized, she couldn't destroy Hard-Bringer. And then she realized, she couldn't even scratch it. And then she realized, she'd have to wait again, and then train again, and then search again, and then despair again. And as the final blow of the battle came, only two words sprung from her mind:209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pSvLVsCSp
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Sorry, mom–209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHcO0353luL
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**CRACK**209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSTQPephyF
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"AG– AAAAAAAAAAHCK!"209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTiKhnJ8KS
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Her nearly six years of combat experience couldn't have prepared her for this.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCeh8wV6DWl
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"And there goes your leg."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhLGvZ0J04
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She knew of no word to describe the sensation. Seething, writhing, pounding, shocking,
burning, aching, twitching, pulsing, churning– nothing came to her mind to describe it. The shattering of her femur, shooting fragments of bone like shrapnel to the lining of her skin, but not enough to pierce it. As if dozens of bugs drilled through her flesh, as if an entire home landed on her leg– that's what it was like.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5e9fj0qlF
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"It's funny. If it hadn't only been you, I'd probably be dead."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCq7DrD2cUK
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She couldn't even move to clutch her leg, to soothe it in any way. The most she could do was groan and yell and grit her teeth, but none of that was possible at once, and when her focus got captivated by his words the way it did, the pain exponentiated.
"Dogs like you– they like to hunt alone. But the moment they face something threatening, they bite just short of drawing blood. Maybe then, you're a defective wolf."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeRUtqNR6d
209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskbgKGBpHo
Boris uncrouched and stepped away as a club of earth spat from a pore. He was clearly haggard, limping as he walked away, hardly able to move one leg before the other. That was the only consolidation Rover was afforded; a tiny solace within the sea of agony.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡut1EV2YFhD
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But those words of his stole it away.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6wH74ucHp
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"Raw strength wins yet again. You got close, but I am still undefeated. Until we meet again, Rover."209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34iksxkeZZ
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Boris continued limping away until he reached the wall. Then, reeling his fist back, he smashed the glass panes open. He looked down and whistled before turning around and looking at Rover.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoOkghsy0pb
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She wanted to scream, but all the efforts of her throat and lungs were channeled to ease her suffering. And oh, how she hated it. How she hated the grin of his face, an arrangement of his teeth and mouth designed for eating feces. He waved her goodbye and jumped off while cackling like a witch.209Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBVwDcZGVA
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No strength to draw, no will to push. All Rover could do was lay there and cope, lamenting her loss and that wretched monster's words.
